So far, the Saudis' explanation for what fate befell Khashoggi has changed multiple times, having initially claimed his death was the result of a fistfight at the consulate, before claiming he had been placed in a chokehold and died accidentally, and later admitting that the journalist's death was indeed murder and a "tremendous mistake".

"The issue now is how Western governments coordinate a response and to what extent they wish to escalate this in a coordinated fashion", said Michael Stephens, a senior research fellow who focuses on the Mideast at London's Royal United Services Institute for Defense and Security Studies.

In the apparent cover-up that followed Khashoggi's death, Madani, 57, who is of similar height, age and build to Khashoggi, 59, was used as a decoy for the journalist, according to the Turkish official.

Saudi Arabia has drawn worldwide criticism for shifting stories on how Khashoggi was killed at its Istanbul consulate earlier this month.

Turkey's pro-government media published new claims on Monday linking Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed to reveal the "naked truth" about the case.

Mnuchin and several top execs from US media companies, including CNBC, Bloomberg, Fox Business, and Viacom, bowed out of their scheduled attendance at a Saudi investment conference being held this week in Riyadh, the Saudi capital.

A leading Republican U.S. senator said he believed the crown prince was behind the killing, adding that the Saudis had lost all credibility in their explanations of his death.

Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman Al Saud extended his heartfelt condolences to the family and relatives of late Jamal Khashoggi.

He took a cab to Istanbul's famed Sultan Ahmed Mosque - popularly known as the Blue Mosque - a few hours after Khashoggi was seen entering the consulate, according to CNN.

During a joint interview with Britain and France, Mrs Merkel said that she condemned the killing of Mr Khashoggi "in the strongest terms".

Saudi authorities acknowledged on Saturday that Khashoggi was killed October 2 at the consulate under still-disputed circumstances. Speaking late Saturday after a campaign rally in Nevada, Trump said he needs to learn more about the killing and will be working with Congress on the US response. He also insisted that Prince Mohammed, defacto ruler of Saudi Arabia, was not to blame.

"We're trying to ascertain the facts as to what happened in the consulate", he said.

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